Arthritis of the knee joint is a common cause of pain and stiffness of the knee. Patients often suffer unnecessarily for many years, whereas knee replacement surgery can provide excellent pain relief for over 20 years in the vast majority of patients. Improvements in surgical technique, implant design and preoperative planning will maximize function, pain relief and patient satisfaction following surgery.
You are unique and so is your individual anatomy, so Mr. Trevor Lawrence, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at Spire Parkway Hospital (and Biomet) offers his patients Signature™ Personalised Patient Alignment Guides. This is pioneering surgery using the latest technology to provide patients with personalised surgical alignment guides for their Total Knee Replacement
Signature™ utilises MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) technology to create personalised positioning guides for total knee replacement. The MRI is used to generate a computerised three-dimensional joint reconstruction, which enables the surgeon to preoperatively plan your knee replacement using Signature™ computer software.
During the knee replacement procedure, an assortment of instruments are used to verify component sizing, establish proper positioning and remove bone and cartilage. Traditional total knee replacement sometimes uses instruments placed inside the thighbone and/or shinbone to assist with implant alignment and positioning.
With the MRI and Signature™ personalised positioning guides, Mr Lawrence has access to a greater level of detail and precision for implant position and alignment before the procedure. This allows for personalised implant positioning. Signature™ personalised positioning guides are placed directly onto your thighbone and shinbone, and therefore do not require instrumentation of the bone canal, allowing for a potentially less invasive procedure and a reduced number of instruments used during surgery.
The advantages for the patient over traditional techniques can include:
- Optimum alignment of the knee replacement implants for each individual patient which should improve the longevity and function of the knee replacement
- Less invasive surgery with a more complete recovery
- A smaller incision is usually made
- A shorter operation and shorter hospital stay.